Spritual Thinking

Systematic Spiritual Life

by Drew Stephens

Viewing LIFE and MINISTRY From God’s Perspective;

and OUR RESPONSE to His plan and purpose.

After 218 verses of introduction, Solomon got to the point of Ecclesiasties and reduced our spiritual life to this sentence, “the conclusion of the matter is this, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

That sentence can envelope all of spiritual life:

1. Fear God – Recognize Him for who He is

2. Keep His commandments – Do what He says

We are not going to simply Systematic Spiritual Life to the extend that Solomon did but I believe we can get a good broad understanding by examining 5 essential tenets.

Systematic Spiritual Life

Consists of these 5 Tenets

I. ACKNOWLEDGING The Divine PRINCIPLE

“Spiritual Thinking”

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

Proverbs 23:7 NIV

The Divine Principle effects our thinking. In order to live right we must first think right.

Acknowledging the Divine Principle

“Spiritual Thinking”

“God in His sovereignty is weaving each of our lives together into a fabric that fulfills His ultimate plan and purposes, and bring Him glory.”

God threads our lives to converge with one another so as to effect His divine purposes in each life and upon the fabric of His plan as a whole.

There are times when we from our prospective must “circle” or seemingly “spin our wheels” while God is working upon others whose lives must intersect with our own. Conversely there are times when others must endure similar tests of patience while God is moving, and prompting us to be in the place of His purpose.

Illustration of Caleb and Joshua.

When God commanded the Israelites to send out spies into Canaan so that they could take possessions of the land, they sent our 12 spies. 10 of the spies came back and spread fear among the people of Israel. The people listened to them and because of their disobedience to God’s command they were forbidden to enter the nation of Israel for forty years, when all but two of those living when they came out of Egypt had died. The two who were allowed to enter the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. The tow spies who came back from Canaan and said the Lord is with us let us go and take the land.

They understood the Divine Principle. They knew that God was working to complete His purpose and plan. If He said go, the obstacle were irrelevant. They understood that God often chooses that which is unlikely and even impossible from human stand point to accomplish His purpose. The reason He chooses the unlikely and impossible is so that He will get the glory and not man.

Now lets look at this from the viewpoint of Joshua and Caleb. They were faithful. They were on God’s agenda and yet they had to circle around in the wilderness for forty years, why? God’s plan and purpose effected more that just them. He had a bigger plan in mind. He wanted to use the nation of Israel to be a witness of His glory to all the world.

Now God didn’t turn His back on Joshua and Caleb. Blessed them and used them for the furtherance of His plan and purpose. They alone were given the priviledge of entering the promised land.

In addition, God works in and through he lives of unbelievers. During the forty years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness. What had to happen in Jericho. Rahab the harlot had a role to play in God’s ultimate plan. Perhaps her family had to move to Jericho. She at some point had to fall on hard times and end up in the profession she followed. And she had to buy an apartment on the wall of Jericho. From her viewpoint an apartment on the wall enabled her to see when traveling men would be coming to the city. She could then be in the right place at the right time to practice her trade with the new-comers. From God’s viewpoint she was living in just the right place for Him to weave her life with the spies of Israel and eventually she was part of the lineage of Christ himself.

That is an example of the Divine Principle.

“God in His sovereignty is weaving each of our lives together into a fabric that fulfills His ultimate plan and purposes, and bring Him glory.”

Do you believe that God has a purpose for every creature? What about Satan the destroyer, does God have a purpose even for him?

Listen to Isaiah 54:16-17

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler (Destroyer in NIV) to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me. Says the Lord.”